Mr. President,

Congratulations! Your inauguration marks a turning point in history for the United States of America and for the world. The task ahead is enormous: the need to tackle the devastating global health and economic crises, and the need to unite Americans in doing so, is urgent.

As we recover from COVID-19 and rebuild the global economy, we must also act on climate change. In fact, these are not separate missions; they are one and the same. This is the most decisive decade in human history to confront the climate crisis.

You can be remembered as the “climate president” who led humanity away from the cliff’s edge. You can transform the world’s energy systems from fossil fuels to clean energy, while also creating an abundance of jobs, reducing harmful pollution, and tackling economic, racial, and health inequality in the process.

Choosing to take bold leadership will allow us to build back better and to build forward to a new world we can create together. By rejoining the Paris Agreement on day one, you have moved the United States in the right direction. But, as you have stated, it is simply not enough, and we must “do all we possibly can.”

You’ve famously said: “When I hear the words climate change, I hear jobs.” We agree. While the climate crisis presents incredible challenges, it is also the greatest economic opportunity for innovation, job creation, new businesses, and investment in our communities. It goes hand in hand with restoring justice and building an equitable, inclusive, and just future for all.

Your commitment to build back better with clean energy jobs and tackling the legacy of environmental injustice is the consequential action that science and our future demands. We will work alongside you to realize this ambitious pursuit.

Our children and grandchildren must see this as the moment the world was saved.

In partnership,

LATRICEA ADAMS, Founder, Black Millennials for Flint

MOHAMED ADOW, Executive Director, Power Shift Africa

CRISTELA ALONZO, Writer, Producer, Activist

SEEMA ARORA, Deputy Director General, Confederation of Indian Industry

ROSANNA ARQUETTE, Actor, Activist

PETER BAKKER, President and CEO, World Business Council for Sustainable Development

AJAY BANGA, Executive Chairman, Mastercard

WILLIAM BARBER III, President, The Rural Beacon Initiative

MARC BENIOFF, CEO, Salesforce

FELIPE BENÍTEZ, Executive Director, Corazón Latino

KEN BERLIN, President and CEO, The Climate Reality Project

MITCH BERNARD, President and CEO, Natural Resources Defense Council

JEFF BEZOS, Amazon founder and CEO

MAY BOEVE, Executive Director, 350.org

EMMA HOWARD BOYD, Chair, United Kingdom Environment Agency

STEPHEN BRENNINKMEIJER, Founder, Willows Investments

CONNIE BRITTON, Actor, Producer, Activist

EDYE BROAD, Co-Founder, The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation

ELI BROAD, Founder, SunAmerica, KB Home and The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation

JESPER BRODIN, CEO, Ingka Group (IKEA)

JERRY BROWN, former Governor of California

CAROL M. BROWNER, former EPA Administrator and Board Chair, League of Conservation Voters

DOMINIQUE BROWNING, Director, Moms Clean Air Force

MICHAEL BRUNE, Executive Director, Sierra Club

DAVE BURD aka Lil Dicky, Multi-Platinum Rapper, Comedian, Co-Creator, Executive Producer, Writer, and Star, FXX’s DAVE

INDY BURKE, Carl W. Knobloch Dean, Yale School of the Environment

SHARAN BURROW, General Secretary, International Trade Union Confederation

DR. MELISSA BURT, Atmospheric Research Scientist at Colorado State University, Founding Member of Science Moms

PASCAL CANFIN, Chair of the Environment, Health and Food Safety Committee of the European Parliament

BOB CARR, former Premier of New South Wales, Australia; Foreign Minister of Australia

MOHAMMED CHAHIM, Member of European Parliament, Netherlands

HELEN CLARKSON, CEO, The Climate Group

DAME POLLY COURTICE, Founder Director of the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL)

ELIZABETH COUSENS, CEO, United Nations Foundation

ARON CRAMER, President and CEO, BSR

DAVID CRANE, CEO, Climate Real Impact Solutions

TARUN DAS, Chairman, Institute of Economic Growth

MICHELLE REGALADO DEATRICK, Chairwoman, DNC Council on the Environment and Climate Crisis

DR. RUTH DEFRIES, Professor at Columbia University in New York, Founding Member of Science Moms

ZOOEY DESCHANEL, Actor, Singer, Songwriter, Activist

LEONARDO DICAPRIO, Actor, Co-Founder of Earth Alliance

ABIGAIL DILLEN, President, Earthjustice

KRISTY DRUTMAN, “Brown Girl Green”

JENNY A. DURKAN, Mayor of Seattle

ABDUL EL-SAYED, Physician, Epidemiologist, Progressive Activist

RAHNA EPTING, Executive Director, MoveOn Civic Action

JAVIER “JAVI” LÓPEZ FERNÁNDEZ, Member of European Parliament, Spain

CHRISTIANA FIGUERES, Co-Founder of Global Optimism, former Executive Secretary of UNFCCC

DR. EMILY FISCHER, Atmospheric Chemist, Associate Professor at Colorado State University, Founding Member of Science Moms

MICHAEL FISHMAN, President, Climate Jobs National Resource Center

JANE FONDA, Founder, Fire Drill Fridays

BILL FORD, Executive Chairman, Ford Motor Company

ARMÍNIO FRAGA, former Central Bank President, Brazil

WANJIKU “WAWA” GATHERU, Climate Activist, Founder of Black Girl Environmentalist

RYAN GELLERT, CEO, Patagonia

DR. ARUNABHA GHOSH, CEO, Council on Energy, Environment and Water

JAMSHYD GODREJ, Chairman and Managing Director of Godrej & Boyce Mfg. Co. Ltd., Chairman of Ananta Centre

SANDRO GOZI, Member of European Parliament, Italy

MATS GRANRYD, Director General, GSMA

TEX GUNNING, CEO, LeasePlan Corporation

KATE HAMPTON, CEO, Children’s Investment Fund Foundation

DR. KATHARINE HAYHOE, Climate Scientist, Professor, Founding Member of Science Moms

CONNIE HEDEGAARD, Chair KR foundation, Former EU Commissioner

DANIEL HENDRIX, CEO, Interface Inc

MARY KAY HENRY, President, Service Employees International Union

ISAÍAS HERNÁNDEZ, Environmental Educator, Creator of QueerBrownVegan

ANDRÉ HOFFMANN, Vice-Chairman, Roche

ABIGAIL ROSS HOPPER, CEO, Solar Energy Industries Association

ARIANNA HUFFINGTON, Co-founder of The Huffington Post, CEO of Thrive Global

MO IBRAHIM, Founder of Celtel, Founder and Chair of The Mo Ibrahim Foundation

JOSÉ MIGUEL INSULZA, Former Secretary General OAS, National Senator, Chile

LISA P. JACKSON, Vice President of Environment, Policy & Social Initiatives, Apple

SCOTT JACOBS, CEO, Generate Capital Inc.

RADMILA SHEKERINSKA JANKOVSKA, Minister of Defense, Republic of North Macedonia

PHILIP JANSEN, Chief Executive, BT Group

ALEKSANDRA JERKOV, Co-founder, The Regional Academy for Democratic Development

LAURENE POWELL JOBS, President, Emerson Collective, Co-founder of Earth Alliance

AYANA ELIZABETH JOHNSON, Co-founder of Urban Ocean Lab, The All We Can Save Project

GENE KARPINSKI, President, League of Conservation Voters

RICHARD KAUFFMAN, former New York State Energy Czar and current Chair of NYSERDA

MALCOLM KENYATTA, Pennsylvania State Representative

CAIO KOCH-WESER, former Vice Minister of Finance, Germany

FRED KRUPP, President, Environmental Defense Fund

WINONA LADUKE, Executive Director, Honor the Earth

PRESIDENTE RICARDO LAGOS, Former President of Chile

PADMA LAKSHMI, TV Host, Producer, Author, UNDP Goodwill Ambassador

PASCAL LAMY, President, Paris Peace Forum

KRISTOPHER LARSEN, Mayor of Nederland, Colorado

GUILHERME LEAL, Co-Founder and Co-Chair, Natura & Co

ANNIE LEONARD, Executive Director, Greenpeace USA

ANDREW LIVERIS, B Team Leader and Founder, Liveris Leadership Academy

LORI LODES, Executive Director, Climate Power

ENRIQUE LORES, President and CEO, HP Inc.

MINDY LUBBER, President and CEO, Ceres

MARK MAGAÑA, Founding President and CEO, GreenLatinos

DR. MILDRED MCCLAIN, Executive Director and Founder, Harambee House/CFEJ

MARÍA MENDILUCE, CEO, the We Mean Business coalition

DEBRA MESSING, Actor, Activist

DAVID MILIBAND, former Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, United Kingdom

MAURICE MITCHELL, National Director, Working Families Party

HAROLD MITCHELL JR., former South Carolina State House, Founder of ReGenesis Project

HIRO MIZUNO, UN Special Envoy on Innovative Finance and Sustainable Investments

GONZALO MUÑOZ, High Level Climate Action Champion, Chile

MOHAMED NASHEED, former President of Maldives and current Speaker of Parliament

MADS NIPPER, CEO, Ørsted

COLLIN O’MARA, President and CEO, National Wildlife Federation

RAILA ODINGA, Africa Union High Representative, former Prime Minister of Kenya

HENRY PAULSON, former US Treasury Secretary

TORBEN MÖGER PEDERSEN, CEO, PensionDanmark

WILLIAM PEDUTO, Mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

CHARLOTTE PERA, CEO, ClimateWorks Foundation

PIPER PERABO, Actor, Producer, Activist

ERICH PICA, President, Friends of the Earth US

KATI PIRI, Member of European Parliament, Netherlands

JOHN PODESTA, Founder, Center for American Progress

PAUL POLMAN, former CEO, Unilever, Co-founder and Chair of IMAGINE

NATALIE PORTMAN, Actor, Activist

VARSHINI PRAKASH, Executive Director, Sunrise Movement

MANUEL PULGAR-VIDAL, Global Lead Climate and Energy, World Wildlife Fund

CORNELIA QUENNET-THIELEN, Former State Secretary, Germany

QUESTLOVE, Musician, Producer, Founder Quest Loves Food, Co-founder and Venture Partner, Rethink Food

JAMAL RAAD, Executive Director, Evergreen Action

KATHLEEN REST, Executive Director, Union of Concerned Scientists

RYANN RICHARDSON, Activist, Miss Black America

CARTER ROBERTS, President and CEO, World Wildlife Fund, US

MARY ROBINSON, former President of Ireland

JOHAN ROCKSTRÖM, Earth Scientist, Director of The Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research

ERIC RONDOLAT, CEO, Signify

KEVIN RUDD, former Prime Minister, Australia, President & CEO, Asia Society

MARK RUFFALO, Actor, Activist, Co-founder of The Solutions Project

DR. JOELLEN RUSSELL, Professor at the University of Arizona, Founding Member of Science Moms

YADIRA SANCHEZ, Co-Executive Director, Poder Latinx

M. SANJAYAN, CEO, Conservation International

JIGAR SHAH, President, Generate Capital Inc.

PEGGY SHEPARD, Executive Director and Co-founder, WeAct

STEPHANIE SHEPHERD, Co-founder, Future Earth

PAUL SIMPSON, CEO, CDP

LORD NICHOLAS STERN, IG Patel Professor of Economics and Government, and Chair of the Grantham Research Institute at LSE

TOM STEYER, Founder, NextGen America

IZABELLA TEIXEIRA, former Minister of Environment Brazil, CEBRI

LEAH THOMAS, Founder, Intersectional Environmentalist

NICK TILSEN, President and CEO, NDN Collective

WAYNE TING, CEO, Lime

HALLA TÓMASDÓTTIR, CEO, The B Team

OPAL TOMETI, Co-founder of #BlackLivesMatter, Founder/CEO of Diaspora Rising

ANA TONI, Executive Director, Institute for Climate and Society

NIGEL TOPPING, High Level Climate Action Champion, United Kingdom

LAURENCE TUBIANA, President and CEO of ECF, former Climate Change Ambassador and Special Representative for COP21

ALEXANDRIA VILLASEÑOR, Founder, Earth Uprising

GLORIA WALTON, CEO and President, The Solutions Project

MARK WATTS, Executive Director, C40 Cities

WALTON WEBSON, Ambassador of Antigua and Barbuda to the UN, Chair of AOSIS

RANDI WEINGARTEN, President, American Federation of Teachers

KATHLEEN WELCH, Principal, Corridor Partners and Board Chair, Natural Resources Defense Council

ELIOT WHITTINGTON, Director, Corporate Leaders Groups

ANTHA WILLIAMS, Global Climate and Environment Program Lead, Bloomberg Philanthropies

JAMIE WILLIAMS, President, The Wilderness Society

GARY W. YOHE, Professor of Economics and Environmental Studies, Emeritus, Wesleyan University